Callendar House
Callendar House is an imposing mansion set within the grounds of
Falkirk's
Callendar Park. Built in the style of a
French château, the house has a 600-year history, playing host to many prominent historical figures, including
Mary, Queen of Scots,
Oliver Cromwell and
Bonnie Prince Charlie. The current building is by far the most substantial historical building in the area, with a 300 ft frontage.
A building was present on the site from at least the 11th century, when the Callendar family was granted land in the Falkirk area by
Alexander II of Scotland. One of the Callendars became involved in a plot against the King in 1345 and therefore had to forfeit his lands, which were granted to Sir
William Livingston, who had fought with the King at the
Battle of Durham. The Livingstons,
Earls of Linlithgow and
Earls of Callendar, played an important part in the history of the area, but their hold on the lands came to an abrupt end in the 18th century when
James Livingston, 5th Earl of Linlithgow and 4th Earl of Callendar, was forced into exile abroad because he had sided with the "
Old Pretender", son of
King James II of England (James VII of Scotland). His daughter, Lady Anne Livingston, gave hospitality to
Bonnie Prince Charlie before the
Battle of Falkirk, but after his defeat at
Culloden, Lady Anne's husband, the
Earl of Kilmarnock, was beheaded for
treason and she fled the estate never to return.
In 1783 the estate went to auction and was bought by
Aberdeen coppersmith Sir William Forbes, a self-made businessman and captain of industry who founded
Carron Iron Works and was a driving force behind the industrial revolution in
Scotland. Forbes' descendants kept the house for almost 200 years, after which the house fell into disrepair.
The house has since been restored to its former
Georgian glory, and is being developed as a major heritage centre. It is the principal museum in Falkirk district and has two magnificent reception rooms, the Pink Room (the Drawing Room) and the Green Room (the Morning Room), as well as a fully working
Georgian kitchen, dominated by a huge open fire, offering visitors to step back into a world that has now gone. Staff in period costumes give insights into working conditions in the house over the centuries and prepare the same food that was enjoyed at the grand social occasions that once took place there.
There is also a history research centre, where all of Falkirk's historical archives are kept, housed in the Victorian oak-panelled library.
The grounds of the house contain a pitch and putt course, crazy golf, a children's adventure playground (with the largest slide in Scotland), a boating lake and the
Antonine Wall. There is also a gallery of modern art, the Park Gallery.
Various events are held in the grounds throughout the year, including the annual firework display, which is regularly attended by over 70,000 people, as well as the national street arts festival, "Big in Falkirk" and the Scottish National Cross Country Championships.
